Laboratory

The Clinical Laboratory provides supportive lab services for all clinics in the Health Department to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions. The staff consists of six Clinical Laboratory Scientists and one Phlebotomist. All the staff personnel have specialized training and experience to perform test procedures that are requested. Commitment to providing the best possible services for the clients we serve is the ultimate goal of our staff.

We are certified to provide testing in the areas of: bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, syphilis serology, general immunology, routine chemistry, urinalysis, endocrinology and hematology. We participate in an approved proficiency testing program where we meet challenges in all areas.

All of our analyzers are interfaced into a computer system. Once the results are approved by the scientist, the clinicians can view them in real time on the PCs in their client treatment rooms. Request for test are received from the clinics directly into the lab through the computer system.

The clinics this laboratory provides supportive tests for are:

Maternity

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Family Planning

Adult Health

Tuberculosis

Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)

Child Health

In addition to the clinical tests, routine food testing and analysis on drinking water are provided for the Environmental Health service at their request.

We perform approximately 42,000 tests a year in-house, and approximately 4900 tests are sent to reference laboratories. Our reference labs include the NC State Laboratory of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Medical Center and CarolinaEast Medical Center.

The Craven County Health Department Laboratory offers outreach to the community by participating in health initiatives as needed. We provide support to our neighboring health department in Pamlico County, as well as, provide staff training and support for YMCA Camps Seagull and Seafarer nurses performing waived lab tests during summer camp. We also serve as a training site for students in Craven and Lenoir Community College Phlebotomy programs.

The laboratory staff continue to study, apply and advance medical knowledge and skills in order to ensure that the communities we serve have the best available health care.